Lucid Dream: When Life Shifts from Figma to the Warmth of a Soldering Pen ｜Designer Career Change
- natalie wong
- Feb 10
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 11
Designer Career Change ｜From Virtual to Physical: A Designer’s Journey into Craftsmanship
A "Lucid Dream" is a state where you remain conscious while dreaming, aware that you are in a dream and sometimes even able to guide its plot. I named my very first wax-carving piece after this phenomenon because it represents the most "lucid" dream of my life.
Not long ago, my world was built entirely of mice, Figma interfaces, and endless spreadsheets. Days were spent in meetings, discussing rational workflows and pixel-perfect designs—a life that was precise, yet dry. Everything changed when I stepped into my "studio." In reality, it is just a small corner of my living room, centered around a jeweler's workbench.
There, I picked up the saw and the soldering pen. In the deep quiet of the night, I sit in this tiny sanctuary, watching the wax melt under the heat and cool again, gradually taking the shape of my imagination.
It has been a profound transformation: from virtual to physical, from noise to serenity.
As the world suddenly fell silent, I found I could finally wander freely through life in search of inspiration. But that peace felt so luxurious that when I looked back at my full-time corporate life, the quiet before me felt surreal. I found myself indulging in this creative freedom, yet harboring a faint, lingering fear: if I cannot sustain myself financially, will I eventually be forced to "wake up" and return to that crowded reality?
This ring is a record of that moment—a place where I lived between fear and joy, within that "dreamlike clarity."
In terms of design, I chose a Gothic-inspired claw setting to hold a dreamy, sea-green zircon. I used the soldering pen to carve a raw, textured finish onto the band. Over time, I have continued to refine the design, adding hints of powder blue and pink stones in the latest version to further heighten that sense of a waking dream.
In your own life, has there ever been a moment where happiness felt so vivid it seemed like a dream, yet you feared the moment you might wake up? Or perhaps you, too, have a small corner at home where you quietly protect a passion that struggles against reality?
I invite you to share your "small corner" or your own "lucid dream" story in the comments below.
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